The Lady and the Unicorn: Mon Seul Desir

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Illustration

Jan van der Crabben
by
published on 21 August 2019
The Lady and the Unicorn: Mon Seul Desir Download Full Size Image

The Lady and the Unicorn are six tapestries depicting a Medieval lady in various poses. Each scene depicts one of the five senses, as well as a sixth scene labelled Mon Seul Désir (my only desire) whose meaning is unclear. Historians attribute the tapestries to be commissioned by the Le Viste family due to the coat of arms prominently placed on the tapestries.

The tapestries were made at the crossroads between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, around 1500 CE, most likely by a Parisian artist who also created the Christian devotional book Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany. They might have been weaved in Paris or in other centres in northern France or the Netherlands.

Wool and Silk. Musee de Cluny, Paris, France. Cl. 10831-10836.

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About the Author

Jan van der Crabben
Jan is the Founder and CEO of World History Encyclopedia. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Crabben, J. v. d. (2019, August 21). The Lady and the Unicorn: Mon Seul Desir. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11080/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-mon-seul-desir/

Chicago Style

Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: Mon Seul Desir." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 21, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11080/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-mon-seul-desir/.

MLA Style

Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: Mon Seul Desir." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 21 Aug 2019. Web. 25 Mar 2023.

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